


A Home for All

by arianapeterson19



Series: Avengers Shorts [101]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adoption, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Foster Care, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Insecure Tony, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sick Steve, Steve Rogers Feels, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-10-25 02:17:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17716163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arianapeterson19/pseuds/arianapeterson19
Summary: He always knew that adoption was for him. His husband, however, introduced the idea of foster care, and their lives would never be the same.ORThe one where I just want Thor and Loki to adopt everyone.





	1. A home for 3

Thor had always wanted to adopt. Even before he knew he was gay, he had wanted to adopt because he had been adopted when he was a baby and loved it. His parents had chosen him, had wanted him so badly that they waited and filled out paper work and spent so much money and they loved him. So yes, Thor wanted to do that for other children. He wanted every child to know how much they were wanted and loved, so he had set his sights on adoption. When he was in college and met Loki, Thor knew they would be perfect together. Loki was brilliant and funny, he was everything Thor could dream of, so when Thor was ready to propose, he asked Loki about adoption – because as perfect as the man was Thor was not about to marry someone against his dream.

Loki had also been adopted, but his experience hadn’t been as wonderful as Thor’s. Not that his parents that had adopted him weren’t wonderful – they were and Loki loved them, but the way he got there hadn’t been ideal. His birth father had killed his mom in a drunken fit when Loki was a baby, which had landed Loki in foster care. Loki had then bounced around from house to house until he was five, before landing with the people who had adopted him. So when Thor asked about adoption, Loki countered with foster care in addition to straight adoption.

So they got married and Thor got right to the paper work to apply both for adoption and to become foster parents.

And then they got their first baby.

He was an actual baby, an adorable baby boy with a shock of blond hair and sickly as could be. His name was Steve and the first time Thor had held the little one in his arms, he knew he was perfect. They were friends with his birth parents and when his father passed away while his mother was pregnant, she had asked them to take the baby when he was born. She wanted him to have a better life and she knew that she couldn’t do it. She was sick herself and just couldn’t fathom being able to care for a baby along with herself with no support.

“Loki, I love him,” said Thor, smiling up at his husband with tears in his eyes, sitting there in the hospital room. “He’s perfect.”

Loki smiled softly and kissed the side of Thor’s head.

“Yeah, he is,” said Loki softly. “And he’s ours forever.”

Together, they smiled down at their tiny bundle of joy that was being fed through a tube and receiving oxygen through another and neither man could say that they had ever seen anything more perfect.

Steve was almost a year old by the time Thor and Loki felt like they could open their house to another child. It wasn’t that they had changed their minds but Steve was just so sick that they needed to focus on finding what worked for their little boy before they could introduce another little someone who would need attention and love and support.

But then they were given a little three year old with one arm. There had been a car accident and the child had lost his arm while his parents had lost their lives. It was a trial placement – but because of their history with caring for a sick child, the state felt it best to give the kid to Loki and Thor. His name was Bucky and while the kid was cautious of them, he took to Steve instantly, and Steve likewise. 

“Hi Stevie,” said Bucky, waving his hand at the little boy in the playpen. “I’m Bucky.”

Steve gave Bucky a gummy smile, a few of his teeth finally starting to poke through, and pulled himself up against the side of the playpen, giggling and waving clumsily.

Anytime Steve needed a breathing treatment, Bucky was sitting right next to him, holding his hand. And when Bucky returned from physical therapy, exhausted and cranky, Steve would cuddle up to his side that still had a full arm and they would just sit. Eventually Bucky warmed to Thor and Loki – Thor was faster because he didn’t have to take Bucky to physical therapy, which Bucky hated. And by the time they were reaching one year of having two boys in their home (and two months of Bucky’s adoption being finalized), they got their first official foster child.

His name was Phil and he was seven.

Phil was a serious child, respectful and helpful, and he lived with Thor and Loki for three months before he was returned to his parents. It was hard – far worse than they had imagined – to give Phil back because they had gotten attached. They knew that foster care wasn’t a forever thing, they knew that Phil had a mom he was going to get back to eventually, but they just couldn’t believe how much they loved that kid after only a few months. The day Phil left, the entire family mourned the loss of the little one, even though they knew Phil was going home.  
Foster care was harder than they had expected but the day after Phil went home, Loki and Thor sat down and decided they wanted to foster more kids, the ones that no one else wanted. They wanted the troubled kids and the kids who were like Steve and Bucky, the ones that needed them most. Because even if it was only temporary, for however long they were allowed to have the kids, they could at least give them a good home. It was going to hurt when they left, but they were going to make sure that for a slice of time, those kids didn’t have a home that hurt.

Their next foster child arrived when Steve was just passed his fourth birthday. The kid was barely three years old and had a history of abuse from his mother, which was why he was placed with Thor and Loki. His social worker thought the placement with male figures would be better for him than being in a home with a female authority figure.

His name was Tony and Loki was in love the moment he got the call and heard his story.

“Thor, we have to take him in,” said Loki. “He’s meant to be here, he needs us, I just know it.”

“He’s coming, don’t worry,” said Thor with a sigh. “But he has been abused, remember. He’s going to be more difficult than the others.”

“No, he’s going to be different,” snapped Loki. “Not more, his struggles are going to be different.”

Thor conceded and Tony arrived at their house with a trash bag of state issued clothes.

“Hello Tony,” said Loki, crouching down to be on level with the little boy. “I’m Loki and this is my husband Thor. We are very happy that you are here.”

Tony tentatively held out an arm, his thumb stuck in his mouth, to be held and Loki looked as though he had won the world. He picked up the little boy and stood, swaying slightly on the spot while the social worker talked to them. Bucky and Steve played in the background together, as inseparable as they had been since they met. Loki peeled away from the conversation between the adults and sat down on the floor next to the cars that Steve and Bucky were playing with, Tony still in his arms.

“Steve, Bucky, this is Tony,” said Loki. “He’s going to be living with us for a while. Tony, this is Bucky, he’s seven, and Steve, he’s four.”

Tony snuggled into Loki’s neck instead of answering, a bit overwhelmed with everything that was happening. Tony hadn’t liked where he had been, his mom was mean and her friends were worse, but he didn’t know any of these people either. The man holding him – Loki – seemed nice and he smelled good. Loki had smiled at him and no one had really done that to Tony in forever. Tony figured that Loki was okay, but he wasn’t too sure about the others.

When it was time for their first meal together, Loki herded the two older boys to the table, still holding Tony against his chest like he had since the boy arrived a couple of hours ago. Steve sat in his booster seat to reach the table, Bucky in his seat across from him. They had added another seat next to Bucky and Loki for Tony. Thor finished setting food on the table before he sat across from Loki, between Bucky and Steve. Loki set Tony down in his own booster seat before starting to load up the plates with food.

With Steve being so sick it was a struggle to get him to gain any weight, so they always picked their foods carefully, making sure Steve was eating enough and that the food was bland enough to sit and stay in his body. Bucky would eat anything, so they never had to worry about him, but the social worker had warned Thor that Tony was underweight and had likely been withheld food, so they needed to be careful of how much and what the kid was eating.

When bedtime rolled around, Thor got Steve and Bucky ready for bed in their shared bedroom while Loki went about getting Tony settled in the small toddler room.

Tony’s knew bed had protective side guards so he wouldn’t fall out and a soft blue blanket. The walls were blue-jean grey, which was calming, and there was a rocking chair and changing table. Loki got Tony changed into a nighttime diaper and new pajamas – they used to be Bucky’s so they were a bit big on the kid but they would work for tonight. Tomorrow, they would go get knew clothes for Tony. Then, they sat in the rocking chair together.

“I am so happy you are here,” whispered Loki, smiling down at the little boy who was falling asleep in his arms, giving up the battle with every slow blink. “You are so incredibly loved and while you’re here, I’m going to make sure you know that. And I’m going to be so sad when you have to go, but mostly I’m just so happy that you came. So, so happy.”

A tear rolled down Loki’s cheek as he rocked the sleeping toddler, and if he didn’t join Thor in bed for another couple of hours because he was just sitting there with Tony, well, no one could blame him.


	2. Family of Choice

The first morning that they had Tony, Loki decided that they should have a quiet day at home to let Tony settle in and allow him to get used to their schedule before adding in outings like the zoo or park. It helped that it was a dreary day, drizzling and grey, so no one felt a strong desire to spend time outside.

“Why don’t you boys play together while I clean up from breakfast?” suggested Loki after Thor had left for work, helping Steve and Tony down from their seats.

“Okay!” said Steve enthusiastically. “Come on, Bucky. We can show Tony how we play cars!”

Bucky nodded and followed Steve into the living room, Tony a few feet behind.

“Okay, but you have to be careful with Stevie,” warned Bucky. “He don’t breathe too good and sometimes his heart beats too fast, so he has to take it easy.”

Tony nodded.

Loki was a little concerned over the fact that Tony wasn’t very vocal but he wanted to give it a few more days before bringing it up with anyone. It could be the stress of being in a new home – Bucky certainly wasn’t too fond of talking to Thor or him at first – or it could be that Tony was just a quiet kid.

The phone rang.

“Hello?” said Loki, answering the call and sliding the phone between his shoulder and ear so he could continue washing the dishes. “Yes. Oh. Yeah, okay, just hold on one moment.”

Loki quickly checked on the boys in the living room. They were playing cars together – or Steve and Bucky were playing cars and Tony was holding the hot rod red car and watching – and seemed content for the moment. Loki went back to the call, sitting at the table.

When Thor arrived home that evening, he was surprised to find another small face at the table, this one next to Steve.

“Thor, I’d like you to meet Clint,” said Loki with a smile. “He arrived this afternoon. Clint, this is my husband Thor. I told you about him.”

“Hello,” mumbled Clint, slouching in his chair. He was maybe twelve years old and clearly not enthusiastic about being there and forced to interact. 

“We’re happy to have you here, Clint,” said Thor with such a genuine smile that even Clint had to smile back. 

“I’m not staying,” said Clint.

“We are happy to have you for as long as you need,” said Loki. “Bucky, why don’t you tell Thor about your day?”

Clint seemed relieved for the switch of attention. Bucky talked about how he had showed Tony how to play cars with Steve and then he read a book while Steve and Tony went down for a nap. Thor asked questions about the book Bucky was reading and listened intently to the answers. Then Steve chimed in and started talking about what he had done during naptime – which was not naptime, it was rest time because Steve was four.

“I’m sorry, rest time,” said Loki with a smirk when Steve corrected him.

“I was resting! But I was also coloring,” said Steve proudly. “But I was in bed and quiet, so it counts as resting.”

Loki smiled and shook his head, but didn’t say anything. That was one fight he didn’t want to have anymore – Steve spent far too much time being sick and resting to get better that if he wanted to coloring during “rest time” then Loki was fine with that.

“And what about you, Tony?” asked Thor with a bright smile at the youngest. “Did you have a good day?”

Tony shrugged, sinking back into his chair a little more.

“Tony had a lot of fun today,” said Steve happily.

“Tony just got here yesterday,” Loki said to Clint. “He’s still a bit shy.”

Clint nodded at the information and appraised Tony with new eyes.

After dinner, Loki carried Tony down the hall with Clint in tow while Thor settled Bucky and Steve in their room. 

“Remember, the bathroom connects your room with Tony’s,” said Loki. “And if you need anything, Thor’s and my room is on the other side of the kitchen downstairs. You don’t have to go to sleep right now but I thought you might be tired after today. Lights out at 9 though.”

Clint nodded and went to his room, shutting his door. Loki went into Tony’s room and got the kid some pajamas before going into the bathroom and starting the bath. While that filled, he sat back in the rocking chair with Tony.

“You are important,” said Loki softly, pretending he didn’t see the bathroom door creep open and Clint settle in to watch. Loki was speaking as much to Clint as he was to Tony. “You are so wonderful and loved. You’re going to grow up and do amazing things. And even if you only get to stay here for a few weeks or forever, I am always going to be proud of you. Nothing you could ever do will make me not care for you.”

After a few more minutes, when Loki was sure that Clint had gone back to his room, Loki got up and brought Tony to the bathroom. The water in the tub was warm and had bubbles. There were no toys in the bathroom because they all were in Steve and Bucky’s bathroom.

“Alright buddy, let’s get you all cleaned up and ready for bed,” said Loki cheerfully.

Tony eyed the water wearily as Loki helped him get undressed. He was not a fan of water but for the last 24 hours, nothing bad had happened to him with Loki around.

“Here we go,” said Loki, picking Tony up and leaning over the edge, keeping the toddler firmly to his chest with one arm and holding Tony’s hand out with the other. Gently, he dipped Tony’s hand into the bubbles. Tony blinked up at him, shocked that he wasn’t put directly into the water.

Loki grinned down at the kid. “How’s the water? Is it too warm?”

Tony shook his head, a little in awe of Loki. Loki smiled down at him.

“You ready to get in the water?” asked Loki.

Tony shook his head.

“Alright,” said Loki. “When you’re ready, we can start with you standing up if you want, okay?”

Tony nodded and wiggled his hand a little more in the water before squirming for Loki to set him down in the tub. Loki did, making certain to keep both hands around the little body to keep him steady. Tiny hands clutched Loki’s arm and big eye’s looked up at the older man.

“Stay?” whispered Tony.

“Of course,” sad Loki. “Always.”

The bath was slow and careful and the entire time Tony remained standing, but there were no tears, so Loki knew it could have been worse.

When all of the children were in bed, Loki curled up with Thor in bed.

“I love you,” said Loki.

“I know,” chuckled Thor, kissing the top of Loki’s head.

“Clint has a brother,” said Loki. “He’s in jail right now, that’s why he got placed with us.”

“Okay,” said Thor.

“So I was talking with his case worker and wanted to see how you felt about taking on his brother when he gets out.”

“Like, as in a custody battle?” asked Thor.

“No! He’s 18 but when he gets out in a few months I think we should be prepared to help him get on his feet.”

“What was he arrested for?”

“Stealing, Thor,” sighed Loki. “He was caught stealing a few times and is now serving time for it. But I talked to Clint and I’m pretty sure his brother was only stealing to feed them. I can’t fault him for that.”

“You have a big heart and I love that about you,” said Thor. “We’ll see what we can do.”

They didn’t meet Barney Barton for another seven months, when he was officially released from jail and put on parole. Thor and Clint were waiting for him, leaning against the car.

“Barney!” yelled Clint, sprinting at his brother as soon as he spotted him.

 

“Hey little brother,” said Barney, wrapping his brother in a hug and spinning him around before letting Clint lead him over to Thor. “This must be the Thor you wrote me about. Nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you as well,” said Thor, shaking his hand with a grin. “I was hoping you would come to our house for dinner tonight.”

“And spend the night!” said Clint, jumping around with a grin. “Loki said you could spend the night. You can sleep in my room! It’s so cool, Barney! And I’m not the youngest in this house!”

“How cool,” said Barney with a smile. “Sure, I’d love to join you all for dinner.”

At the house, Tony was sitting with Bucky on the floor, coloring, while Steve took a nap. He had been fighting a cold for a few days and sleeping a lot more. Loki was just finishing dinner in the kitchen when the door opened and Thor, Clint, and Barney entered.

“Hello,” called Thor. 

“Hello,” replied Loki. “In the kitchen.”

Clint wasted no time in showing Barney his room and the bed that Thor and Loki had made up in there for him. The brothers were talking in the bedroom when Tony wandered in, sucking his thumb.

“Hey Tones,” said Clint. “This is my big brother Barney. Barney, this is Tony.”

Tony waved shyly at the new person while he toddled over to Clint. The thirteen year old picked Tony up, allowing the kid to whisper in his ear whatever it was that brought him into the room. 

“Okay, thank you for telling me,” said Clint with a smile before setting Tony down, who practically ran out of the room.

“What’s his story?” asked Barney.

“Not sure,” said Clint with a shrug. “Loki and Thor are pretty quiet about why kids are placed with them. But from what I can guess, I think that kid’s dad beat him or something. He’s kind of skittish.”

“M’kay,” said Barney with a shrug. “Let’s go eat dinner.”

Dinner was a quiet affair. Steve went to bed early to sleep and Tony was shy around Barney and wouldn’t speak. Thor and Loki both asked Barney easy questions to draw him into conversation. In the end, after Loki had put Tony to bed, he sat down with Clint, Barney, and Thor in the living room.

“So Barney, what’s your plan?” asked Loki bluntly, though not unkindly.

“I want to get custody of Clint,” said Barney, shifting to sit up a little taller. “So I’m going to be going to the classes, checking in with my parole officer, and finding a job and apartment. I know there’s a couple of homes around here willing to put me up and help me find a job, so I’ll seek out one of them tomorrow.”

“We ask because we have a friend who is looking to hire,” said Thor, his easy smile putting everyone at ease. “I would like to take you there tomorrow. It’s bookstore, so you would be working with people and customers, but if you’re interested, she would like to give you an interview.”

Barney was speechless. He couldn’t believe that this couple was willing to help him. He must have misunderstood.

“We want what’s best for Clint,” said Loki with a soft but sad smile. “And the ideal is to have him back with his family. We want you to be successful.”

“I told you they were awesome,” said Clint, leaning against Barney.

“They are,” Barney quietly agreed.

When Clint moved back in with Barney a year later, Loki and Thor were sad to see him go but Barney had become a part of their lives as well and they promised to have family dinner every Sunday evening, so it took the sting out of the leaving.

Foster care was, after all, just temporary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then Tony's case worker called and said that his mom had passed the last class and would be taking Tony back.
> 
> Always,  
> Ari


	3. There and Back Again

“I hate this,” said Loki, staring out the window as Tony was driven away from their home by his case worker, leaning against Thor.

Steve and Bucky were staying with Darcy, a friend of Thor’s, because Loki knew this day was going to be hard for them. Tony had been with them for over a year and a half, closer to five than four, and was a big part of their family. Loki had been furious when he found out Tony was going back with his mother. Beyond furious. He had raged for days because while they had been advised that Tony’s mother was taking the classes, was going to therapy, was doing everything right to get her son back, he didn’t honestly think that she would succeed. 

So early this morning, Steve and Bucky had said good-bye to Tony and went to spend the day with Darcy. Loki and Thor had showered the kid with love and support, because Tony was not at all happy about having to leave. There were no tears, no arguments, but when Tony was loaded into the car, his suitcase in the back, he had looked so devastated it was as though his entire world was going to fall apart.

“He’ll be back,” said Thor.

“That’s the problem!” yelled Loki. “He’s going to be back! It might not be right away but she will fuck up. She’s going to hurt him and we can’t do anything until she gets caught!”

“It’s only temporary,” said Thor, though Loki could hear how his heart was breaking. “That’s foster care. We knew that going into it.”

“We just handed that sweet little boy, that kid who we have loved and raised for the last year and a half, and we handed him back to the woman who did nothing but hurt him! The best thing that woman ever did was give birth to him.”

“Loki –“

“I bet she doesn’t even know his favorite color!”

“Loki – “

“It’s red!”

Thor wrapped his arms around Loki, pulling him close. Loki buried his face into Thor’s neck and cried. Thor didn’t say anything, mainly because there were no words to say. Nothing was going to make this right. They both knew that Tony belonged with them but they weren’t his biological parents and that’s what seemed to matter in the end.

“Let’s go to dinner,” suggested Thor after they had both settled.

“Fine,” sighed Loki, wiping his eyes. “Love you.”

“Love you too.”

\- A Home for All – 

It was a Sunday night four months, three weeks, and two days later that Loki got the call he had been waiting for – not excitedly, not happily, but with dread and forboding. They were having their weekly family dinner with Clint and Barney when Loki left the table to answer his phone. He was gone for all of ten minutes before he came back with a conflicted look on his face.

“Thor, can I talk to you for a minute?” said Loki softly.

“We shall return shortly,” said Thor grandly, causing the kids to laugh.

They went to their bedroom and Loki shut the door.

“Tony’s coming back,” said Loki with a small smile.

“That’s wonderful!” said Thor.

“Well yes, but no,” sighed Loki. “I spoke with his case worker just now. She’s bringing him here but they spent all morning at the hospital. He’s got a broken leg and is back to being underweight.”

Thor’s smile fell; he sat next to his husband and held his hand. They didn’t want to get Tony back this way but at least now he wasn’t in that home anymore. It was a small comfort for them.

“Is there anything else?” asked Thor.

“No. But I think we should get him a therapist.”

“That sounds like something Tony could benefit from,” agreed Thor. “We should go tell the rest of the family that Tony is returning.”

Loki nodded and rose, hand still clasped firmly in Thor’s own large hand, and together they went to face their family.

“Tony is coming back,” announced Thor, loudly as soon as they entered the dining area.

“Alright!” cheered Steve. “When will he get here? Is he going to go back to his bedroom or is he getting Clint’s old room?”

“He’ll be sleeping in his room,” said Loki. “But we do need to talk about Tony before he arrives.”

“So we want you all to listen first and then after we can answer any questions you have,” said Thor. “Sound like something we can do?”

Everyone at the table nodded.

“Okay,” said Loki, taking a deep breath. “So the first thing you need to know is that Tony has a broken leg, so we have to be gentle with him. He wasn’t being treated well with his mom, so we want to try and avoid yelling. That doesn’t mean that when you have an issue we want you to bottle it up, we just want you to take a moment and make sure you are using your words and not screaming your words.”

“It’s probably going to be a little difficult for Tony when he arrives. Don’t get discouraged when things don’t go right back to how they were before Tony left. It’s probably going to take patience and time.”

“Do you have any questions?” 

“Is Tony going to have to go back to his mom?” asked Bucky with a glare.

“We don’t know,” said Loki.

“Why can’t you just adopt him like you adopted me and Bucky?” asked Steve.

“That’s not an option right now,” said Loki. “We would love to be able to adopt Tony but until that is an option, we are going to love and care for Tony.”

Steve nodded along, though Bucky didn’t look satisfied with that answer. Before he had time to protest, the doorbell rang, ending the conversation.

When Loki opened the door, he was nearly knocked back by a small boy hitting his legs. Wasting no time, Loki scooped the little boy up in his arms and instantly started comforting the child, who was sobbing into his neck. For a moment, Loki was strongly reminded of the original first day that Tony was with them and how light the boy felt then as well. It was like the months of hard work they put in meant nothing, but the way that Tony didn’t hesitate to come to him told a different story.

“I missed you too, honey,” whispered Loki, walking away from the door, trusting Thor to handle the details. “I missed you so much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story I didn't mean to fall in love with....has one more chapter after this and then I really have to end it.
> 
> Always,  
> Ari


	4. Formalities

A week after Tony was brought back to them, Loki was starting to get very concerned. The boy had a therapy appointment in the afternoon and it couldn’t come any faster for Loki.

He could see the changes that a few months had forced in his little boy. Tony was more closed off, he didn’t like to eat, and he flinched at everything. He spent most waking moments following Loki around. He would play with Steve and Bucky if Loki was in the room and while Loki loved having Tony so close, he knew it wasn’t healthy.

Thor wished them well while he was loading Steve and Bucky in his car to take them to Steve’s doctors appointment.

The building was two stories but looked taller because the ceilings on each floor were incredibly high. The outside was a red brick with large windows to let in natural light. Loki held Tony in his arms, partially because Tony was so underweight and tired easily and partially because he knew the boy was uncertain about this entire experience and needed some comfort.

“Hello, how may I help you?” asked the older lady at the front desk.

Tony cringed and hid his face in Loki’s shirt.

“My name is Loki Odinson,” said Loki, subtly shifting Tony so he was between the boy and the lady. “We have an appointment with Dr. Strange.”

“You can head right back then,” said the lady, who still hadn’t introduced herself, gesturing to the hall off to the side. “Down the hall, to the right, and then you want the office that says ‘Strange’ on the door. Knock first but if you are on time then he should be ready. Dr. Strange is very prompt.”

“Thank you,” said Loki.

He quickly followed the directions and was soon entering an office that he was not expecting to look like that. 

“Hello,” said Dr. Strange, standing up and coming over from his desk. “I’m Dr. Strange. You must be Loki and Tony.”

“Hello,” greeted Loki, looking around. 

A portion of the office was dedicated to a desk and scholarly looking books while the rest of it was calming colors, soft rugs and pillows, and plenty of toys. Tony was also looking around the room with interest, so Loki set him down, though he kept a hold of his hand.

“Why don’t we sit down?” offered Dr. Strange, gesturing to the light green couch and blue armchairs.

Loki sat on the couch and Tony climbed up to join him, sitting on his lap. Dr. Strange chose a chair across from them, not crowding them but close enough to talk comfortably and feel connected.

“So I’m just going to start by asking Tony a few questions,” said Dr. Strange. “When he feels comfortable enough we will play with some of the toys while we talk. This is just to get to know each other. Do you have any questions at this time?”

Loki shook his head.

“Tony, do you have any questions?” asked Dr. Strange.

Tony shook his head.

“Okay. Then I’m Dr. Strange. My first name is Stephen.”

“I live with a Steve,” said Tony suddenly, before covering his mouth, realizing he had interrupted.

“Tell me about Steve,” said Dr. Strange with a smile. 

“He’s older’n me,” said Tony slowly, as though testing the waters. When Dr. Strange did nothing but smile and nod, he continued. “He’s six. Sometimes he gets sick but Loki says that’s okay because they will take care of him no matter what.”

“How does that make Steve feel, do you think?”

“Happy. He’s got two daddies that love him and always take care of him even when he’s a lot of work and they’re nice. Like, all the time. Even when Steve does something bad, they don’t hit, they talk.”

“Do you like it when they talk?”

“It’s better than hitting.”

“Do you want to talk to me about the hitting?” asked Dr. Strange.

“No thank you,” said Tony.

“Okay, why don’t you go play with the toys while I talk to Loki,” suggested Dr. Strange.

Tony immediately got up and went to the robot. He sat with it a few feet away, and turned to be able to see Loki while he played.

“What are your goals for Tony?” asked Dr. Strange when they were certain that Tony was settled.

“I want him to be happy,” said Loki. “He’s so anxious right now, scared. He doesn’t like to be far from me. I want him to be a kid, to play and have fun and not be so afraid of people.”

“I’ve read the file that was sent over,” said Dr. Strange. “Tony is displaying signs of separation anxiety but you have only had him back for a week, so for now we will monitor that but I think it will dispel over time. I would like to continue seeing him, for now we can keep it to once a week. I would like to encourage you to be mindful of your time spent with Tony. Don’t limit it, but make sure you are encouraging him to spend time with his foster brothers and your husband. I would also encourage you to take small trips out to get him into social situations as well as have him see crowds. Keep a close eye on him, he’s going to be uncomfortable at first. Make sure it’s discomfort at a new situation and not genuine fear of what is going on.”

“How do I tell the difference?”

“Observation. Ask questions.”

Loki nodded. “But do you think he’ll be okay?”

“You’re doing a good job with him, that’s all you have control over.”

\- A Home for All –

That evening, after the boys were in bed, Loki crawled into bed with Thor and listened to Thor’s report from Steve’s doctor. There was no change, which was good. All of Steve’s medications were working and they didn’t have to alter any dosages. Everything was going well with Steve, which was a great thing because it wasn’t always that way.

“I want to adopt Tony,” said Loki when Thor was done.

“Me too,” said Thor.

“But his damn mother won’t give up her rights,” cursed Loki.

“I’m not sure they should be called rights. They should be called privileges.”

“And it should be our privilege to have that boy as our own.”

“But until then –“

“I’ve already spoken with his case worker and informed them that if the time comes, we want to adopt.”

“But until we can –“

“I know, I know,” sighed Loki dramatically. “Until we can, we will love him and care for him and give him the family he deserves.”

“Adoption is just a formality anyway,” said Thor. “He’s ours. We know that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End.....I guess.
> 
> Always,  
> Ari

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a one shot to just get it out of my system but I have no self control, so here we are.
> 
> Always,  
> Ari


End file.
